Earlier this week, Rishi Sunak announced plans to make studying maths mandatory until the age of 18, rather than 16. He says the UK have an ‘anti-maths’ mindset which is damaging to the economy, and that people must ‘stop joking about being bad at maths’

The announcement has already faced criticism, with many saying the promise lacks a coherent plan, including money to recruit and train more maths teachers.

Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, admitted we currently do not have enough maths teachers to implement the plan and that it was still not known how many extra would be needed, as this would depend on the recommendation from a new expert advisory group that will help shape the content and decide if a new maths qualification was needed.

Sunak has made clear from the start of his premiership that he wants more people working in business and finance, which has led to questions as to whether this announcement is more political than economic.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb, refutes this, and says ‘it is absolutely not a political decision’, but an instructive one that will help young people in the long run.